HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

With love, Larry and Laura and boys...

WHILE WE WERE WITHOUT

power we stayed at my inlaws.
They have a hot tub my boys call the Peterson Pool.
The boys were crazy out there!
Running around in the snow, handstands and summersaults, making snow angels, then jumping back in the water and laughing about how much it burned. It was hilarious!!
Crazy boys.....

I AM THANKFUL FOR HEAT, POWER

and the awesome firemen
in town,
ESPECIALLY
from Station 4.

We lost power for 48 hours due to the ice storm.

We huddled in the living room to keep warm and we argued, (I love my disfunctional family! Is any family NOT disfunctional?) then passed the time by making silly ghost faces with the flashlights...

Played games...

like Mario Brothers...
We received DELICIOUS warm bread....

from our awesome home teacher, Duane and his wife Mona...

Lach played with flashlights and we played a hide 'n go seek game in the dark called Sardines.

Then we went bed...

At 1:30-ish we had to call 911 because we had a fire in the house.

Luckily for us it was a smoldering fire in the attic. When the flames got big, the firemen were right there.

We all got out safely...

My brother Steve took this photo of the fireman carrying the ax and chainsaw to cut into our roof....

There was SO MUCH smoke...

We had 5 firetrucks come to our house. The first to arrive and last to leave was Firehouse Station 4...

Here is the culprit...

the wood burning stove in our family room that we were using to heat the house...

The morning after....

We know we were very blessed and we are definitely counting our blessings!

MY SISTER TOOK SOME PHOTOS

of us while we were watching the firemen.
We had the kids in the cars to stay warm, dry and to try to sleep. Our cars were trapped in the driveway by the firetrucks so we kept getting out to watch.
Even though we were scared, we tried to make the best of the situation...

I WENT TO BUY AMMO FOR STOCKING

stuffers for Larry and I, (ammo is slim picking by the way), and I noticed the gun wall.
You have to see it to believe it. Almost empty.
Not because of Christmas, they had record setting sales the day after the election...

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

is a MASSAGE... Actually I'd like it yesterday....

BABY'S BREATH ISN'T JUST A FILLER

or a weed... Look at this beautiful wintery western baby's breath wreath found at Wreathplace.com....

LARRY AND I WERE WATCHING THE TV SHOW LIFE

the other night and heard a song by Onili that we REALLY liked...

Click here to have a listen to the Israeli born, raised in Paris, artist Onili.
My favorite song is Sentimental....

EVEN THOUGH ICE STORMS

are dangerous, they are beautiful....

"AND THE GRINCH, WITH HIS GRINCH-FEET ICE COLD IN THE SNOW

stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore...
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more...."

I'M COVETING MY AWESOME FRIEND

Adrienne.

She just got back
from New Zealand
where she
bungee jumped
in Queenstown, which
is the third
highest spot
in the world.

440 feet! Aren't these amazing photos of her!

Bungee jumping in Queensland has definitely been added to my list to do before I die.

Walking on the Great Wall of China is already on my list and she told me that the number 1 spot in the world is in China at a whopping 760 feet.

I am SO there one of these days...

LARRY J & LAIRD ARE ENJOYING

a boys night out with Larry, Steve and Derek seeing

The Presidents of the United States of America...

WHEN STEVE IS AROUND THERE

is never a dull
moment.

The boys had
a snowball
fight and built a
snowman today.

The cute little snowman is looking up at the sky, waiting
for Santa.....

THESE NUMBERED STAINLESS STEEL SKEWERS

allow you to assemble you kebabs and then identify yours when finished...

These would be great for fondues too.

The Conran Shop is genius!!

They're on sale too....

RED CROSS REJECTED

me twice today... Steve and I went to give blood....

I failed the CJD form (see top bullet).

We returned to the States June 1980...

Steve was a happy camper. He didn't fail...

I found out I was double denied due to the surgery.

If I WAS able to give blood I'd have to wait 5 years....

At least one of us was able to do a good deed today...